The Darkness Before the Dawn
by CelticDaemonWitch
Summary: Without Stormbringer, Adriane is deaf and lost to the world around her. She wont even pay attention to Emily, Kara, or even Zach. Will light ever turn her face its way again? No, I can't say it's been updated recently...
1. Screensavers and Gutters

Disclaimer: Heh-heh, if I owned Avalon, do you think I'd bother simply writing fanfics?  
  
Rating: PG13 (for language abuse and I have no clue what else I might add)  
  
Summary: Without Stormbringer, Adriane is deaf and lost to the world around her. She wont even pay attention to Emily, Kara, or even Zach. Will light ever turn her face its way again?  
  
A/N: Hey, its not my fault I get whapped with the urge to create stories every now and then. And besides, I was angry when I wrote this, and I become dark and cynical when I'm mad. So sue me. NO DONT!! P.S. You'll have to have read the sixth book to know what the hell I'm talking about when I say that Storm's dead.  
  
The Darkest Hour is Before the Dawn  
  
Chapter 1: Screensavers and Gutters  
  
Small tendrils of light wormed their way across the barren landscape, as the steadily rising sun gingerly touched its precious Aldenmor earth, checking for any damage the long and painful night had caused. Reassured, the great ball of fire gently moved further out into the crisp autumn air, bathing sweet and glorious light over once dark lands. Fall colors stained the edges of the summerclad trees that were few and far between, and the stirring wind that rustled their greeny orange covers had a chilling nip to it. The stream was colder than it had been during the short summer, though it still crinkled along its rocky highway with its usual merry song of worship to the earth and all its things. But other than that, there was no sign of life across the savannah, despite the call of the light that rose further into the sky, as if challenging the shadows that bravely lingered still.  
  
Adriane gasped sharply as she awoke, the image of peace and happiness of a sunrise fading immediatly from her mind as she found herself gazing at the familiar pattern of the dreamcatchers above her head. The sheets were tangled around her, trapping her limbs and holding them immobile. Her long, stringy black hair was twined around her head and sprawled across her pillow, which had seen better days.  
  
Two pearly tears leaked from the warrior mage's dark, bottomless black eyes and trickled down her cheeks, leaving their trail cool to early morning air against her flushed and heated face. She tried to block out the friendly chirps of the chickadees, briefly pondering the reason behind their endless happiness, and enving them for it. Trying not to sob loud enough to wake her grandmother, a gulping Adriane slid slowly from her bed, landing in a mess on the floor and managing to get herself out of her sheets from there.  
  
Trembling all over, she stood shakily, feeling her knees wobble beneath her and threaten to buckle. The girl gritted her teeth and struggled to reach the door, and nearly grinned with triumph when she reached it without falling to the ground first. Exhaustion gripped her like a vice, despite the fact she'd nearly slept the entire time. She pulled herself upright, forcing her victory from her mind as she moved mindlessly for the bathroom to get herself cleaned up.  
  
Stormbringer. The light in Adriane's life, snuffed out like the head of a candle. Easy as that. She had not even the pleasure of dying quick and painlessly. Life was not worth living for without her, but for some strange reason her distant friends Emily, Kara, and Zach had somehow persuaded her not to end her life now that there was no reason for it to continue. Adriane could not remember what they'd said that convinced her, but she did know that it held true now.  
  
So the girl became nothing but a walking corpse, probably more useless than a dead body, a waste of precious air. She barely remained conscious enough to know when someone else was around her. When she actually ventured past the gates of Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve, people turned to stare at her skeletal face, at the burr of matted hair the was clumped around the back of her head, at the unmatched clothes she usually wore, and her blank expressionless eyes that seemed to be deeply sunked into her head, far beyong the point of returning.  
  
But people never asked after Adriane's obvious depression. They were polite enough to spare her that small pain. They steered clear of her, though, and didnt speak to her unless absolutely forced. They rarely got a reply.  
  
Clutching the edge of the toilet like it was the Holy Grail, Adriane emptied the dismal contents of her stomach into the loo, trembling all over with grief as she did what she did every morning. Throwing up was no new do for her.  
  
Adriane raked two slender fingers through her disheveled, ratted hair as she stood again, glancing around the bathroom as though expecting Storm to leap from some hidden corner at any moment and slaughter her. She wouldnt claim she wouldnt have wanted it. All she wanted was to be with Storm again. Even if it meant her own death.  
  
Adriane gave an exhausted sigh, reached out and flushed the toilet before stumbling from the bathroom back to see what semi-unsmelly clothes were avalible to her.  
  
*&*  
  
Emily Fletcher bounced into the manor of Ravenswood with her customary cheerfulness, waving happily to Adriane's grandmother as she did so. The old woman chuckled softly at the healer mage's bright antics, shuffling out of the room to tend to something else. Emily dropped her school bag onto the antique couch, scuttling off to the study to check the computer for any new emails.  
  
Ozymandius, the elf turned ferret forever, glanced up happily as the redheaded teenager made her usual dramatic enterence, pratically collapsing into the chair in front of the secretary's desk as though she had been drained of all energy by such a simply little action as walking into a library. "Anything new today, Ozzie?" she questioned in a perky if not downright hyper voice.  
  
The furry elf grinned broadly as much as a ferret could grin, and shook his head. "Nope, it was pretty dull until you came in!"  
  
"Hey," objected a voice as Kara arrived, plainly having been on Emily's tail in getting over to Ravenswood for after school checkup. "I thought I was the one with that job!"  
  
"Hey is for horses and I'm not a horse," replied Emily without missing a beat, as she swiveled around in her chair to face Kara, still with that goofy grin plastered to her face. "And I thought your job today was to go to roll call down at the glade, hm?" She quirked an eyebrow, and Kara stuck her tounge out.  
  
"All right, Miss Healer Lady, your wish is my command." With a teasing toss of her blonde hair, the blazing star mage stalked out with her usual amount of huff and puff. Emily sighed a bit and rolled her bluish green eyes. "She's too much, Ozzie, you know that?"  
  
Ozzie glanced up, and shook his head slightly. "Emily, I've known that for far too long," he said with mock solemnness (I have no clue if thats a word, but if it isnt, it is now!). "Its not my fault you've been blind to it until now." He ducked his head a bit as Emily hurtled a pencil at him harmlessly.  
  
"You fuzzball, say something like that again and I'll take away ALL the marshmellows so you cant toast them!" The healer surpressed a snicker at the way Ozzie's large brown eyes suddenly got a whole lot bigger and he pratically grovelled before her in his haste to keep her from taking away the nearly empty bag of marshmellows.  
  
"All right," she finally laughed, unable to take the strain of keeping a straight face any longer. "Stop that, Ozzie, you look completely ridiculous." The ferret clambered back up to his perch atop the desk, his claws barely making a mark on the nearly spotless varnished surface. "Oh, but I know," he chuckled, with a faint trace of a grin. "Its my new job!"  
  
"You have too many jobs!" exclaimed Emily, poking his side playfully, nearly sending him toppling off the desk.  
  
"And speaking of them," quipped Ozzie after he had regained his balance. "Isnt your job supposed to be checking the emails?" Emily stuck her tounge out at him, having just recalled that herself, and twirled around in her chair, looking up at the monitor with its dinky Microsoft screensaver, and gently nudged the mouse so that the screensaver would vanish. It didnt. Emily frowned and shook the mouse vigorously, but the stupid floaty logos refused to leave.  
  
"Hey, Ozzie," she mumbled, looking puzzled; her fiesty mood from before now a thing of the past. "Something's wrong. The screensaver wont go away." She felt him leap to her shoulder, taking a few moments to balance himself before squinting at the computer, and she could feel that he was equally puzzled. "Maybe its just being slow and screwy," he suggested half- heartedly. Emily twitched.  
  
"Probably," she sighed, leaning back into her chair with an annoyed grimace at the monitor, which was still blinking the Microsoft logo at her cheerily. She got up, and watching Ozzie innocently stick his claw into the bag to fetch a marshmellow, rolled her eyes and wandered off to get something to eat as well.  
  
And while no one noticed, the screensaver flickered, just briefly, but it flickered. The image warped in on itself, and it flashed even more wildly as it tried to stay composed. But, for the fraction of a second, huge red letters printed themselves across the webbed surface of the screen, remained bold and upright for barely a moment before the screensaver took over again as though nothing had happened.  
  
HELP!!  
  
*&*  
  
Unaware of her beautiful autumn surroundings, a lonely and desolate Adriane stumbled aimlessly though the Stonehill streets, not quite sure of where she was going nor caring where she ended up. In fact, she wasnt even thinking that. Her mind was free of her body, running in sharp joyful bounds with the spirit pack. Beside her ran her one and only friend, her reason behind her exsistance. Stormbringer.  
  
The sleek, silver mistwolf barely made any noise as she ran, her paws effortlessly grazing the grass as she blew past in a sweep of rustling silken fur. Her muscular sides heaved with her exertion, but her golden eyes glittered with bliss alone. All around other, other spirit mistwolves ran along, sending the lilting haunting wolf song across the earth below them.  
  
Adriane threw her head back and howled with them, as her spirit whipped along besides her bond mate, her heart's companion. Storm turned to face her, slowly to a halt and coming to gently touch her friend's cold hand with her nose. ~Go back, Adriane,~ the wolf said in a soft but firm voice. ~You cannot keep doing this, love.~  
  
Adriane frowned, confused. Didnt Storm want her to stay her side? To be there forever? ~I do,~ affirmed the mistwolf ghost gently, ~but you still live, Adriane. I would not rob you of such a gift.~ With one last friendly lick, she turned and easily lopped off to rejoin her pack.  
  
Tears once again stained the foresaken warrior mage's eyes as she struggled to keep up, suddenly feeling like a heavy leaden block of metal instead of a weightless, drifting spirit. She didnt want to be left behind. She wanted to run with Storm and spirit pack. But soon they faded from her line of vision, and she fell, alone once again.  
  
She was crouched by a leaf-clogged gutter, her arms wrapped around her knees and bitter tears streaking her face and she rocked back and forth, relishing in her few moments in contact with the spirit pack, before the link was severed completely. A soft sob was emitted from her lips as once again darkness settled into her heart, leaving her feeling torn and forgotten back in the real world. Storm's words still echoed in her head, and she knew they just had to be real and not a figment of her bruised and rusty imagination.  
  
She didnt view life as a gift. She viewed it as an awful curse she didnt want. Maybe she would have wanted it at some point in her miserable life, but she sure didnt now. Life was just simply another burden ruthlessly placed on her shoulders. She wished so dearly to end such a task, but still for some reason she still could not bring herself to commit suicide. Some hidden promise still lingered in the depths of her heart, some forgotten promise to the other mages that had dug its roots deep.  
  
Barely noticing the stares she received, Adriane swayed to het feet again, gave one convulsive shudder as though freezing cold despite the warm weather the day had brought. Dragging her already tattered backpack behind her, the warrior mage made her way slowly home.  
  
She hated everything.  
  
((Hehheh. Yes, I'm cruel and I leave people hanging. So sue me. I might add more later on. Depends if your good or not. Please R/R, I'm new here and this is my first story. *sad sniffle* I know I didnt get much done in this chapter, which is why I said I might add more, but it gets better, I promise.)) 


	2. Ghostly Disapearances

Author's Note: Yup, its me again, so soon. Nope, I dont have a life to live, so here I am! Anyway, this is chapter two of my sucky story, and maybe something will even happen in this blurb!  
  
Casi: I doubt it.  
  
Anna: *thwaps her* Hush.  
  
Disclaimer: I dont own Avalon, unfortunately. I love writing about them, and I do wish to own it, but I dont. Okay, I'll stop babbling.  
  
The Darkness is Before the Dawn  
  
Chapter Two: Ghostly Disapearances  
  
"Adriane?" Emily called softly, laying her hand gently on the lifeless girl's shoulder. "Get up, Xena. Is there something you need that I can get you?" Adriane sighed, a soft fluttering noise that seemed to be the icey chill of death.  
  
"I'm never needed, never needing," the girl mumbled, turning over on her side, burying her face into the pillows of the couch with a muffled groan of complaint. The sun had long since set, and the shadows traipsed across the windowpanes of the study like haunting ghouls of the night coming to creep up on the two girls who were huddled in the darkened study, with only the cheerily flashing fire for company.  
  
Emily had never really liked the darkness, and now that she'd seen some really horrible things in her young life, she had no paticular wish to be around night and lurking shadows anymore than she absolutely had to.  
  
Adriane, however, seemed not to notice the change of day into night. She had come in around four thirty, crumpled on the couch in the study, turned her gaze to the far wall, and hadnt moved one inch until now. This was nothing new when you considered she had been doing this since Storm died. She was, however, aware enough to understand Emily's question. And she actually replied for once.  
  
Emily got over her intial shock quickly, for this was definately an improvement from the sullen silence she normally got when she asked the warrior mage a question, or even really tried to hold a conversation. Maybe things were finally clearing up in the other girl's mental world. The healer certainly hoped so. It tore at her heart so much to see her friend act like a dead woman walking.  
  
It was only a matter of moments before Adriane felt breathing becoming difficult through the heavy cushions, forcing her to roll over and face the healer mage, who still stood there where she had been when she had spoken, her turquoise eyes absently scanning the shelves for a book of any interest to read. "Why dont you go home, Emily?" she murmered after a moment, her lips barely moving in her great effort to contact the world outside of her own morbid thoughts.  
  
Emily sighed quietly, trying not to let her shock show on her freckled face, only a peaceful grin. "Mom said she would work at the Pet Palace today, and that I could have the entire night off. Kara's going to that birthday party of her one friend -- Heather, right? -- so she couldnt stay up here with you, and Grams said she could not get you to come down for dinner."  
  
Adriane absorbed this information in silence, not remembering a single thing about her grandmother coming to speak to her. On second thought, she probably could have been asleep, or trying to rejoin the spirit pack to talk to Stormbringer again. The girl gave another one of those icey sighs, gave one consulsive shudder as though she were going to break down in tears again. Emily was there in an instant, her magical stone flashing with the blue-green sparkle of healing. "Adriane, please dont cry. Its not right to see you cry!" she begged, panic seeping into her veins. She had gotten Adriane talking a moment ago! What had happened to that girl, who asked the single question, who listened to the reply?  
  
But Adriane was already asleep. The redhead sighed softly, gently pulling an afghan from where it had been neatly folded on a nearby shelf and lightly draped it over the shivering body of the lonely grieving magic- user. "Come back soon," Emily said in barely more than a quiet whisper, that quickly got lost in the vastness of the gigantic study.  
  
With one last tender look at the schrunched up face of the mistwolf's bondmate, the healer mage left the manor to go home to her own troubles and family.  
  
*&*  
  
Shadowed fingers crept in icey rivlets of sweat down the spine of Kara Davies, as the popular blonde girl walked slowly down the sidewalk, doing balance-beam stunts on the curb to keep her mind off her discomfort. But she couldnt shake off the feeling that something dangerous and deadly was going to happen, and soon.  
  
Kara shrugged a shoulder, sternly telling herself she was just having an attack of paranoia. Heather's birthday party had gone great, and the party decorations were so totally twenty-first century! Kara's body felt drained from all the energy she exerted at the party, and the first thing she wanted to do when she got home was curl up on the couch and zonk out.  
  
But she couldnt do that with that dark shadow hanging over her shoulder, not up right in her face and personal, but close enough to be annoying and not forgotten. Kara glanced impatiently over her shoulder at the empty street, her blond hair quivering brightly in the dim streetlamps. Suddenly the blazing star felt very obvious. Here she was, walking down a deserted avenue, at ten o' clock at night, in loud many colored clothes. Anyone who wanted to could see her, and in her current state of low strength, Kara felt very vunerable.  
  
Wanting very much to see the friendly lights of her home, the blazing star mage sped up, trying not to seem as though she was in a hurry, or frightened of the darkness that crushed up against her. But fear had its own ways of twisting with her heart, and the blood slammed in her temples, the dull roar of such a rush echoing dully in her ears.  
  
But before she could turn onto the familiar street of home, the shadows caved in, diving down straight upon her and swallowing her mercilessly into their depths, muffling the terrified scream she gave. To anyone who was looking, it would appear as though a girl had just vanished in midstep. Very creepy indeed. Though, suddenly, just under ten seconds after Kara disapeared, the air where she had stood warped and twisted violently, as though something was poking at the air as though it were a canvas. For half a moments, dripping blood red words appearing, screaming the exact same word that had been on the computer screen in the Ravenswood library.  
  
HELP!!!  
  
*&*  
  
Adriane struggled into an upright position, her jet-black eyes glued closed by the tears that had melded there. Blinking fiercely to get rid of this feeling, she sat up on the couch, trying to ignore the black spots that broke out in front of her eyes as the blood rushed into her head again. Briefly did her mind wonder about the History test that was supposed to be signed and brought back by today, yet knowing in some sub-conscious part of her mind that her test was still hastily stuffed in her desk at school, crumpled in there the moment she saw her grade as the teacher gave it back to her.  
  
Stale cornflakes with skim milk was all the warrior mage managed to get down for breakfast, and she kept her gaze rivetted on the tiny burn in the table from when she had accidently knocked over a candle and didnt get the flame out in time to keep it from making a permenent mark on the rough wood. She hadnt even made an attempt to straighten herself out this morning. She wore the same clothes she had conked out last night in, and her hair remained a sooty mess on her shoulders, and she smelled as though she hadnt washed in days, which was the truth.  
  
Something was wrong. The warrior mage twitched slightly, some unconscious feeling creeping unbidden into her mind, that something very very awful had just happened, while she slept. Frowning to herself, the girl abandoned her cornflakes and went to the front door of her cottage, peering out onto the path for any signs of anything out of the ordinary.  
  
Panting, her long untidy auburn hair flying out behind her, Emily dashed up the path as fast as her sleep-leaden legs would carry her. Adriane's eyes widened subtly with worry and shock, and the fumbled with the clasp of the lock on the door, frantically trying to get it open before the finicky healer mage whammed right into it.  
  
She was nearly flattened as Emily burst into the entry way, out of breath and trying to exclaim something obviously very important. Adriane tried to follow her gasped cries, but her liquified brain didnt catch on like it was supposed to, and she hastily placed her hands on Emily's shoulders, getting the girl to stop and catch her breath.  
  
"Begin again," said the warrior mage in as gentle as a tone as her hoarse throat could get out, once Emily had stopped gulping. The other girl wasted no time in getting the most important information across.  
  
"KARA GONE!!" Emily bellowed, and Adriane rocked back on her haunches, clapping her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to stop her head from ringing. "What?!" she gasped, closing her eyes as once again spots broke out in front of them.  
  
"Kara's gone," the healer repeated, this time not so loudly. "She didnt come home from the party, her mom said. Kyle claims he is completely innocent. Everyone's extremely worried!"  
  
Adriane was still trying to take in that sudden and shocking information. Kara was the blazing star, the most magical out of all three of them. The animals looked up to her, the unicorn loved her, and magic was attracted to her likes bees to honey. They couldnt open the portal without her. They couldnt do much of anything without sassy, floppy Kara there to help boost their magic.  
  
The warrior mage gulped, and finally said in a soft, low voice. "This is bad." In her heart, she screamed for Storm. Storm had always known what to do in times of panic, she had always been calm and in control. And now, without her when disaster struck, Adriane felt very helpless.  
  
((I'm sorry Kara's section was so short! I'm not good working with blondes -.-' Anyway, the second chapter of my story's up! Getting better yet? *swats at Windy* No, I'm not giving you guys any hints yet! Quit nagging me. *gets to work on third chapter* Oh, yes, please R/R! *puppy eyes*)) 


	3. Who Takes Charge?

Author's Note: I'm so sorry about taking so long to put up this chappie! I had school, need I say more? I'll try to make the stories more interesting as I go along, and I've got a half-formed plot twisted out. *grins* I like war and blood a little too much...  
  
Casi: *dryly* We've noticed.  
  
Anna: *stuffs her down the kitchen drain*  
  
Disclaimer: Ummm... I don't own them. Happy?  
  
The Darkness is Before the Dawn  
  
Chapter Three: Who Takes Charge?  
  
Curly tendrils of mist coiled childishly on the ground, rolling and playing across the hard-packed dirt, looping around one another in an unmeant death hold. Vegetation had ceased to grow in this cool, thick air, and it was barren for many miles. The frosty nip to the chilling wind signalled the coming of winter, but all that changed for this trifling season was the tempurature. Suddenly, the crunching of sneakers against cold earth broke the foggy morning air, the harsh sound of scared breathing hung like sharp notes around the tall, blond figure that was steadily making her way across the tundra.  
  
"This is insane," muttered Kara Davies to herself, eyeing the world before her with unveiled scorn. "They need to liven this place up... wherever it is." Still muttering in that pouty way of her's, the rich blazing star continued her tempered march, trying to ignore the fact she was barely making any progress. She kicked out foul-temperedly at the nearest clump of mist, breaking it into tiny fragments and sending it lifelessly flopping in every direction.  
  
Still grumbling, the blazing star mage tilted back her head to let the hanging fog lightly caress her smooth-complexioned face, and she took in deep breaths of it, trying to calm her jittery nerves. She hadnt asked to be here, she had been innocently walking home, when all of a sudden she was lurched half-way across the galaxy to a medieval magical planet ruled by unseen forces that werent doing much of anything to restore this once beautiful land. She couldnt be angry, anger always managed to block rational thoughts. Gawd, I'm becoming one of those people who meditate all the time, Kara thought with a light frown twisting her mouth. Nature, nature, nature. This is not what I call nature. This is simply a rotting bag of useless soil!  
  
"Careful, careful," she whispered, sucking in another lungful of the mist. "Dont lose your temper. Who knows what lingers here in this hell- hole, something that will be most delighted to rip you to shreds. Gawd, I'm talking to myself. I'm going crazy... or more crazy than I already was." Sighing heavily, she lowered her gaze and glanced apphresively around, remembering the chilling feeling of fuzzy catepillars against her spine from before and wondering why it wasnt bothering her now, when she was most certainly in more danger than she had been walking in her usually friendly neighborhood.  
  
Nothing leapt at her. No leering monster face loomed from the mysterious mist. All was quiet, and unnervingly calm. Kara's tension was continually growing, as well as her wary suspicion of such an uncaring attitude the Fairimentals had towards the restoration of their home world. Chill out, girlfriend, she berated herself mentally. Maybe they just havent gotten this far out into Aldenmor yet... Wait, am I sure this is Aldenmor? Panic gripped her heart again, and Kara had to fight to regain her composure and think. She was pretty sure she had to be on Aldenmor, in fact; if she thought it was, it had to be. She was Kara, after all.  
  
These slightly arrogant thoughts soothed her restless soul, though not by much. The blazing star mage tilted her chin upwards and continued walking with a new, exaggerated spring to her step. She still felt butterflies jumping around in her stomach, and she did her best to ignore them, but as we all know its hard to ignore those butterflies.  
  
For the next two hours Kara walked and thought of nothing in paticular. Her thoughts kept drifting to what people might be thinking back home, noticing that she was gone, and possibly wasnt coming back for all she knew. Well, she thought with a bitter smile. They can scour the entire United States for all I care. They wont find me. Though, she did hope Emily and Adriane get some clue as to where she was. She didnt like this alone feeling. She wanted her friends there, she wanted Lyra there; heck, she didnt care who, she just needed somebody to talk to!  
  
The loneliness grew to an incredible pitch inside of her, and she had to struggle to keep from screaming with frustration and tossing herself onto the dirt. That would be a tantrum, she thought with dignity. I'm not two anymore, I turned thirteen last month. I dont throw tantrums. But I am awful lonely, and no one's around except myself....  
  
"So talk to yourself," said a cheerful voice somewhere to Kara's right. The blazing star mage jumped clear from her skin and whirled around, her heart hammering in her chest a million miles a minute. But no one was there. The barren landscape stretched for miles in every direction, and there was no sign of who had spoken or where he or she was. Kara felt cold dread dropped stones on the butterflies in her stomach, squashing them all and filling her body with fresh terror. Who was speaking? Where were they? How could they read her thoughts?  
  
"Too many questions!" barked the same voice, sounding surprisingly like a school teacher with its firm, reprimanding tone. Kara now knew she had to be on Aldenmor. It was the only place to her knowledge that had mind- reading, embodiless voices floating around a desert. "Slow down or I'll never understand you!"  
  
Kara finally managed to stammer out, "But, wh-who are you?" She hated the weak tone she had spoken in, but her voice was shaking from her too- real fear, and she now longed for Lyra and/or the other mages with a new passion. No, not that way, you sick twisted person, you. She wasnt stupid or slow-witted, contrary to popular belief, but she didnt quite know how to deal with this paranormal being who seemed to be able to read minds.  
  
There was a long pause before the reply came, so long that Kara began to wonder if she had insulted it by asking its name. If it was even an it. Who know with the beings of Aldenmor? "I'm not sure," came the authoritive voice, sounding distant and thoughtful. "You are a human, you wouldnt understand," it decided finally.  
  
Kara felt anger flare in her veins, heating the chilly ice that had coursed there before. "Oh, yeah?" she snorted scornfully. "Try me."  
  
If she were at school, she would have been sent down to speak to the principal for that smart remark, but right now the blazing star mage was beyond caring. Her feet hurt, she was hungry, she was sure her hair was a dishelved mess and her perfect skin was cracked from sun exposure. She was a bit more than crabby. And from the cold silence she recieved, she almost felt as though she had been sent to the principal's office, and she almost grinned. She was amused by the creature's seemingly stuck-up, uncaring attitude. Arrogant people were always so easy to insult.  
  
"Listen, you--" Kara grinned as the creature stopped itself, and she could almost see teeth grinding as whatever it was struggled to control its temper. "Alright. My name is Ristanilapago."  
  
Kara nearly laughed, but remembered what little scraps of manners remained in her and bit her tounge, though she was unable to stop a broad grin from creeping across her face.  
  
"Oh, shut up," snapped the creature called Ristanilapago.  
  
"But I'm not saying anything," replied Kara in an innocent tone.  
  
"No, but with thoughts as loud are your's, there's no way I cant miss what you're thinking."  
  
Bingo. That proved it was a mind-reader. It had openly admitted it. Kara felt as though she'd made a victory, though what game she was struggling to win she had to try and figure out. She did some thinking, not caring if the creature with the oddball funny name was listening in. Her conclusion came so suddenly she almost dismissed the idea before stopping.  
  
She was trying to help Aldenmor overcome its rebuilding challenges.  
  
~^*&*^~  
  
Adriane blearily surveyed the frayed, nail-biting Emily as she nervously paced on the porch to the manor, every so often glancing up at her where she stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe for support, lifeless black eyes watching the redhead's every move. "If you walk any faster, you're going to make a trench in the wood," she commented dryly.  
  
Emily must have been truly occupied if she hadnt picked up on that remark and praised Adriane for her observations. Lyra had come down from Kara's house almost immediatly after Emily had almost mowed down her friend that morning. By now it was nearly noon, and all Emily had done was pace, and all Adriane had done was watch her. School was completely forgotten. Silence only invoked more thoughts, she knew, and so left the healer mage in peace, hoping some stroke of brilliance would come to either of them.  
  
Lyra was mentally chasing herself in circles, berating herself for not having kept a closer eye on Kara, for not having gone to meet her on the way back. The fact that their neighborhood was very friendly and nothing horrendous ever happened for quite a while didnt occur to her. Adriane could pratically feel the guilt pouring off the winged feline in waves.  
  
As for Adriane, while her heart was in a turmoil, she was perfectly calm in her mind, and so was rather relaxed despite the tension over the common knowledge that Kara, the daughter of the mayor, had gone mysteriously missing. And although that news was repeating itself over and over in her mind, rolling and bouncing like a light-weight child might in the bedsheets his mother was airing. Only not with quite such joy. Without being consciously aware of it, Adriane had inspected the problem from every angle.  
  
"We need to get her back," she whispered under her breath, but this time Emily heard her.  
  
"No shit, Sherlock!"  
  
Adriane didnt award such a remark with so much as a reply.  
  
Oh, if only Storm were here! The mistwolf maiden would know exactly what had to be done, and they wouldnt be doing what they were currently doing if she was here to herd them into a plan! Adriane gave a frustrated sigh, raking her fingers through her hair and absently noting on how greasy it was.  
  
The warrior mage stood up straight suddenly, and the jewel at her wrist flashed brilliantly, spilling amber light across the troubled face of Emily. The healer mage nearly recoiled at the glimmer that had sprung to the depthless abyss of Adriane's eyes, and a slow grin was spreading the dry and cracked lips. She was tempted to ask where Adriane had gone, but she swallowed it back down.  
  
"C'mon, we have to open the portal!" exclaimed the Native American descendent, bounding off the porch and onto the path as fast as her legs could carry her.  
  
Emily and Lyra stared after her a moment, then in a syncronized movement, they turned and dashed after her, completely bewildered as to what their friend was up to. They themselves were astonished by the sudden change that had overcome Adriane. It was as if sudden daylight conquered the darkness that thrived within the night that was her soul. It was quite an expected change, and they werent sure if it was one hundred percent good.  
  
"But, Adriane!" called Emily breathlessly. "We cant open the portal without Kara! You know that!"  
  
"Yes," was the distant reply. "But if we can get the dragonflies to listen to us, they can contact someone who can open the portal for us!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Drake!"  
  
Emily was puzzled for a moment, before she remembered the story Adriane had told about her solo adventure in Aldenmor, with the little crimson dragonet as an underfoot companion. After all, Drake was only a bigger version of Kara's dragonflies, right? If he couldnt open the portal on a whim, then no one could. Or so was Adriane's assumptions.  
  
Emily and Lyra exchanged uneasy glances, but by then it was getting hard to shout and run at the same time. The healer mage had a stitch in her side, but she didnt dare stop, didnt dare be left behind. For an old thrill was rising in her, the same thrill she got when she first rode Phil over their town, when she met Lorelei, and when she fought against the evil witch of Aldenmor. The thrill of expectation, of magic being used for a good cause, the feeling that she was helping the construction of the universe.  
  
A few of the casually lounging animals glanced up in slight alarm as the flustered, wild-haired Adriane burst into the magical glade with no warning whatsoever, her breaths heaving in her chest, her cheeks a deep rose color as she quickly glanced about out of habit, ignoring the stares of the magical animals directed at her.  
  
"Oooo-eee!" she whooped, clapping her hands together loudly. "Dragonflies! C'mere, wherever you are!" she had seen Kara use this technique before with success and prayed it would work for her too.  
  
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Just as Emily and Lyra arrived in a breathless whirlwind, six brightly colored miniature dragons appeared above Adraine's head, shrieking and whirling around excitedly, dancing joyfully in the air. It wasnt long before they realized something was amiss.  
  
"Where Keekee?" the little blue one -- Fred? Adriane wondered briefly -- urgently, his little facetted eyes whirling with sudden distress. The others caught onto his panic with record time, and soon the air was full of screaming, wild-eyed dragonflies, all searching around frantically for a tall blonde figure. Adriane resisted the urge to shriek at them, took a deep, hearty breath of fresh pine, and said in the most level voice she could manage under such strain.  
  
"Dragonflies. Relax. We'll go get Kara for you. Does that sound like a plan to you?"  
  
Emily felt amazement spider through her veins. This was not the Adriane she had been used to for the last month or so. This was an alien to her -- it wasnt the old Adriane, but it wasnt the same person who had lost Storm. It seemed to her as though someone else was acting through this Native American girl who's lost her best friend. Someone with much greater power, slipping into her body like the old skin of a snake. Emily shuddered, but tried not to let her disturbment show. Fortunately, Adriane wasn't paying her much mind.  
  
"Dragonflies? Do you hear me? Help us, and you'll get your Keekee. I'm even sure she'll loan you some of her hair." It was an empty promise, but it had to be made.  
  
It worked, though. "Oooooooo!" the dragonflies chorused, pausing mid- flutter and turning to circle around Adriane's head. "All right. Do you remember Drake? I know you've seen him before. Big, red, goofy dragon. Remember? Even if you don't, we need you to reach him. Ask him to open the portal. Can you do that? Pwetty please, with sugar on top? Contact the Big Red Dragon, and ask him--"  
  
The dragonflies were gone. Lyra inched forward. ~Do you think they'll do it?~ she inquired, making Adriane jump, for she had completely forgotten she had been followed.  
  
"Yes. They love that girl. They'll do anything if they believe she's in danger," Adriane answered, with more confidence than she felt. And so they waited. And waited. And, as a special bonus and free this month only, waited some more. Finally, when Emily was just about ready to give up and demand to go home, a dull roar started up at the center of the glen. It steadily grew in volume, and the animals started in panic. They bleated warnings to each other, and scattered from the clearing, disappearing into brush and safety as fast as they could.  
  
But Adriane, Emily, and Lyra felt no fear. Only the thrill of expectation. With a sound like an volley of exploding cherry bombs, the Aldenmor portal flew open with startling speed, nearly blowing the three of them backwards with its force. But it was open, and as soon as Adriane regained her bearings, she urgently peered into the depths of the swirling warp. "Drake? Are you there?"  
  
"Mama?" There it was, the dog-like muzzle of the red crystal dragon, popping up out of that looming darkness, and a bright yellow eye the size of a tennis ball peered out at her excitedly. He had certainly grown up quite a ways since the last time Adriane had seen him, which was almost an entire year ago now. The warrior mage felt surprise flash through her bloodstream, but dismissed it. There was no time to be spared for mourning over lost time.  
  
"Yes, it's me. Drake, we need your help. Is Zach there?"  
  
"As always," came the male human voice from behind the bulk of the adolscent dragon. "It's about time we heard from you, Adriane. I was beginning to wonder if you had dropped off the face of the earth."  
  
"Only for a little while," replied Emily, stepping up beside the girl, not ready to be left out. After a moment, Lyra came forth, too. It was a broken circle, with two of its most important links missing. One would not be coming back, and they refused to watch the other disappear as well.  
  
There was a shuffle from the other side, and Zachariah, looking dishelved and harried, managed to make the Drake back up far enough for him to look into the warp. He nodded briefly to Lyra and Emily, having easily reconized them, but when his gaze turned to Adriane, his jade green eyes widened. "You look like you've been dragged through a mud slide, tossed by a tornado, and hit by a truck," he noted.  
  
Emily rolled her eyes, while Adriane, undaunted, answered, "Love you too. Look, we need your help. Kara -- that would be our local resident blond, I'm sure you haven't forgotten her -- has gone missing. She's set the whole town into a panic. Call me paranoid, but I have a sneaking suspicion something terrible will happen while she's gone, and there will be nothing we can do to stop it. So, we need your help in finding her. You know Aldenmor much better than we could ever hope to. If anyone would know where to look, it would be you."  
  
If Zach was put off any by her compliment, he didn't show it. His face took on that determined, serious look. "All right. This won't be easy, you know. Aldenmor has been shaken to bits by the battle with the witch. Nothing is as it seems anymore, and no matter how hard we try, we can't fix it. Either the witch left behind some nasty land mines for us to step on, or there's a new evil brewing. And Kara's disappearance isn't hardly soothing my nerves."  
  
Emily nibbled at her bottom lip, her brain struggling to process the new and sudden weight of information pressing down upon it. The ominous feeling grew to an amazing pitch inside of her, and she saw her own anguish reflect on Adriane's crumpled face. "So is that a yes? Will you help us?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
Adriane breathed out in relief, then turned to face Emily. "Now, before I start hearing protests, I want you to stay here." Emily's jaw dropped, but before she could list the reasons why she should come and join the hunt was hastily cut off. "Listen to me. You're the healer mage. You're also patient, diplomatic, and as charming as anyone could want. You need to stay here, to calm the refugees in case anything should come over them, or any stranger comes questioning. I have confidence that you can handle any challenge Earth may face in this troubled light. And besides, Lyra will stay here with you. Won't you, Lyra?" She spoke in such a tone that it brooked no arguement from either startled personage. Emily was once again strongly reminded of this newcomer to Adriane's mind and soul, and briefly wondered if the person who was talking to them was not some minion of the witch's that had come knocking for revenge.  
  
Adriane then gave them a smile that smoothed their ruffled feathers. "Good. I knew I could count on you. Now," she turned around and once again met Zach's worried gaze. "I'm coming with you, just to make sure you don't look at the Kara, or anyone else for that matter, in the wrong way. Can't ever trust you men with a woman's task."  
  
"Thanks, I'm flattered," said Zach wryly. "Hurry it up, though. Who knows what trouble that girl could have gotten herself into by now?" He vanished from the screen. Drake rumbled impatiently, giving an uneasy shuffle that make the portal flicker and waver. Adriane knew he couldn't hold it open for very much longer without triggering something unpleasant. She glanced over her shoulder at Emily and Lyra, who were looking at her with large, concerned eyes. She smiled reassuringly at them. "See you soon."  
  
"Good luck. You'll need it." 


End file.
